Shall We Dance? (Sonadow)
by Crystal Draculura Bloodsucker
Summary: When a dance competition comes to town, Sonic and heroes don't think much about it. But when they discover the winning prize to be a Chaos Emerald, Sonic and Shadow must compete to win it, fair and square. (Full Summary inside) (Warning: May contain cursing, lemons, Omorashi, and MMD video titles to go along with the story (I can't leave links, unfortunately.))
1. From Subscribers To Dancers

**Title:**

Shall We Dance? (Sonadow)

**Summary:** When the gang discovers that a dance competition is being held in their city, they don't think much about it until they discover the winning prize to be a Chaos Emerald. Sonic is determined to win, but he needs a dance partner.

Tails and Cream are too young, Amy would just hang onto him, Rouge would probably just steal the emerald, getting them all in trouble, and Knuckles has two left feet. That only leaves Shadow as Sonic's last hope, who reluctantly agrees.

What the two hedgehogs didn't plan on though, was for the competition to bring them closer together.

Sonic Seme

Shadow Uke

May also contain:

Cursing

Lemons

Omorashi (wetting/desperation) (debatable)

MMD videos of Sonic and Shadow dancing to go along with certain chapters.

**Subscribers To Dancers**

It was a beautiful slow day on Mobias. Sonic the hedgehog was in the living room of the house he shared with Tails, sitting boredly on the couch. Ever since the war with Sonic Forces and the defeat of Infinite, things have been really slow with nothing to do. It seemed as if after the battle, Eggman was taking a break because he hadn't attacked in awhile either.

"Ugh, there's nothing to do!" Sonic groaned loudly as he slumped on the couch.

Usually, when the hedgehog was feeling rather bored, he would go out for a run, but he had been doing that every day now, including today and, believe or not, Sonic was actually bored of running!

Tails, hearing Sonic's complaining, walked into the living room and sat down next to him.

"Why don't you turn on the news?" He suggested. "Maybe there's something interesting going on that you can help with."

"Maybe." Sonic sighed as he searched for the remote. "But I doubt it. The last time I checked the news was this morning, and they were only talking about the war with Infinite some more, and a tidbit of the battle between Pewdiepie and T-Series."

"Oh, how's that going anyway?" Tails asked curiously, he and Sonic both being Pewdiepie subscribers.

"Pewdiepie is still in the lead by over 5,000 subscribers, there's no way T-Series is catching up." Sonic chuckled as he finally found the remote between the couch cushions. "There you are you little bugger. Let's see what the news has in store for us now."

When Sonic turned on the t.v., the two were immediately greeted with Pewdiepie's T-Series diss track _Bitch Lasagna_. The subscriber count for the two YouTube channels were up and from the results, T-Series now had over 19,000 more subscribers to go to reach Pewdiepie.

"See Tails, told you they weren't going to reach him anytime soon." Sonic chuckled.

"I wonder how long this battle is gonna go on for." Tails frowned.

"Probably for all eternity." Sonic shrugged. "There's no way those two are ever gonna stop fighting for the top."

At that, the subscribe counter faded away, changing the scene to a newswoman standing in front of what looked to be some workers building a type of stage in the middle of Station Square.

"Good afternoon Mobias, Diane Sawyer here and I am reporting live from Station Square where some construction is being put underway for the upcoming dance competition which is to be held here in town in just three more days."

"A dance competition?" Sonic raised an eyeridge in thought. "Interesting."

"The competition is said to last for 30 days with 16 teams of very talented dancers. Audiences at home and here in front of the stage have the power to vote for the best team they believe should move on to the next round. Whoever is the last team standing, wins this beautiful gem of a prize here. Why don't we get a picture of it up here."

Sonic and Tails both gasped when they saw what the winning prize was.

It was the cyan Chaos Emerald!

"I'm getting word that there are only 5 spots left, so if you think your dance team has what it takes, come down to the center of Station Square and sign up now. Now, back to the race between YouTube's leading channels, Pewdiepie and T-Series."

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Tails gasped as Sonic switched the t.v. off.

"We gotta get on that list." Sonic agreed. "Who knows what will happen if that Chaos Emerald falls into the wrong hands."

"You're right Sonic." Tails nodded. "Quick, call everyone over and tell them what's going on. I'm gonna look up the rules of this competition."

"Got it, Tails." Sonic nodded as he started a group call on his wrist communicator. 'I just hope we all have enough talent to be considered as dancers.'


	2. So You Think You Can Dance?

**A/N: As I said before, some chapters will have a title from youtube of a video of Sonic and Shadow dancing to go along with their routines. For easier access to all of their routines, I've made a playlist titled Shall We Dance? (Sonadow). Now please enjoy this next chapter.**

**So You Think You Can Dance?**

About half an hour later, everybody was standing in the living room, pondering about how they were gonna get this Chaos Emerald.

"Well, we obviously can't just take it." Knuckles frowned in thought.

"And why not?" Rouge questioned. "I'm a klepto, I can easily get it for us."

"First of all, I don't trust you with the emerald." Knuckles listed. "And second of all, we can't take it because it's the grand prize and we'll all get in a lot of trouble for it."

"Knuckles is right." Sonic agreed. "We'll get in a lot of trouble with we just waltz in and take it."

"Then why don't we just compete for it?" Amy suggested. "Sonic, wasn't there an extreme gear competition that you, Knuckles, and Tails competed in for another Chaos Emerald?"

"Actually, yeah, there was." Sonic nodded. "And we won too."

"But this is a dance competition, not an extreme gear competition." Knuckles frowned. "And I can't dance. I've got two left feet if that's the correct phrase."

"Yes, Knuckles, that's correct." Maria assured him.

"I can dance." Sonic announced. "But the newswoman said that it's a team competition. I'll need a partner or two. Tails, what did the rules say?"

"Well, the rules clearly state that this is a team effort." Tails started. "Each dance team needs to consist of two to three dancers within the age range of 13 or higher, guess that leaves Cream and I out as potential partners."

"Oh, too bad." Cream frowned sadly.

"Maybe another time, Cream." Sonic smiled to cheer her up, which worked like a charm. "What else does it say, Tails?"

"Well, the competition is taking up 30 days, every other day the teams will perform a dance routine, and the audience will have to decide which teams they believe should move on. Only 16 teams are limited to sign up."

"An even number." Shadow stated. "Possibly for a final dance battle between the last two standing teams."

"More than likely." Tails nodded.

"Anything else, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Just some Terms and Conditions stating to treat all teams fairly, cheating is prohibited, everyone is equal, yada yada ya."

"Everyone is equal?" Shadow raised an eyeridge in confusion.

"I guess it's for like the gays and transgenders and such."

"Makes sense." Sonic nodded. "So, we only have one option to get this Chaos Emerald. We need to dance for it. As I said, I can dance, but who's willing to be my partner?"

"I'll be your partner!" Amy exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, I can just imagine us dancing together to the most beautiful songs. You and me, spinning around the stage. You dip me at the end and then…"

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea, Ames." Sonic shook his head. "I'm pretty sure the only way we're gonna move on is if our routines are a little more… unique."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Amy sighed in disappointment.

"As I said, I can't dance, so count me out." Knuckles frowned.

"I'll be your dance partner." Rouge offered slyly.

"Yeah, I don't think I can trust you to not steal the emerald behind my back." Sonic shook his head. "Omega?"

"I am a robot." Omega stated. "So I cannot dance. I appreciate the thought though."

"Maria?"

"Absolutely not, Faker." Shadow hissed. "Maria has just been through enough trouble with Infinite, I'm not letting you put her up on stage for all to see. Plus, she barely knows you."

"Then why don't you be his partner, Shadow?" Maria suggested.

"Huh?" Shadow was confused.

"You're within the age range. You know Sonic well. And you're a wonderful dancer." Maria boasted. "You can pull off some pretty good moves."

"Yeah Shads, why not?" Sonic smiled cheekily. "Whaddya say?"

"*sigh* Fine, but only because it's the only way we're gonna get that emerald."

"Great! Before we go sign up though, we have to test your choreography, see if you can synchronize well enough. If not, then we have three days to work on it."

"I've never done synchronized dancing before, so probably the best idea." Shadow admitted.

"Great. Tails already has the song up. Everybody clear up and give us some room. Shadow, stand to my right and just do what I do. Got it?"

"Alright."

"Hit it Tails!"

At that moment, Tails played the song Circus by Britney Spears.

(**[MMDSONIC] CIRCUS [ft. Shadow])**

The two hedgehogs started by just standing in place until the beat dropped. Shadow followed Sonic move per move, even throwing his own little choreography in the routine to move the opposite direction at some points, being careful not to collide into the azure hedgehog, especially when they laid on the floor. At the end, the two hedgehogs walked a few steps away from each other and posed, earning an applause from their friends.

"That was great you guys!" Amy cheered.

"I think you're ready to sign up." Tails nodded.

"I think so too, great job there Shads. You got some moves." Sonic chuckled.

"Thanks, you too." Shadow nodded.

"Ready to go sign up?"

"Let's go."

With that, the two hedgehogs rushed out the door to the center of Station Square to sign for the dance competition, hoping that they weren't too late as there were only 5 spots left the last time they checked.


	3. Now It Really IS A Competition

**Now It Really IS A Competition!**

When the two hedgehogs got to the center of Station Square, the workers were still busy building the stage. The media was walking around, checking out the place and speaking to potential dance teams. Over to the side, there was a stand with a pink female shrew sitting behind it, a signup sheet sat in front of her, the sign above her reading _Sign Up Here_.

"She's still here." Sonic pointed out. "I guess we're not too late after all."

"Come on then, let's go sign up." Shadow nodded.

Nodding in agreement, Sonic walked up to the signup stand with Shadow following behind. As they approached, the shrew looked up at them and smiled.

"I was wondering when you would show up, Sonic the Hedgehog." She giggled.

"You were expecting me?" Sonic frowned in question.

"Of course. I knew for sure once you saw what the prize was you would come compete for it. Everybody else here are too dense to realize what exactly it is, but I'm smart enough to know that it's a Chaos Emerald."

"And you know that it rightfully belongs to Sonic?" Shadow questioned.

"Yes, of course. However I can't really say anything about it. It's the grand prize and I must treat it as so."

"Are there any spots left for Shadow and I to sign up to compete for it?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, you're in luck. I just so happen to have spots left for three more teams."

"Oh goody, that means my team can sign up as well."

Both Sonic and Shadow growled at the familiar voice, turning to see Eggman and Metal Sonic standing behind them.

"Eggman, why am I not surprised to see you here?" Sonic sneered.

"I could say the same for you and Shadow." Eggman retorted back. "I didn't know you two could dance."

"Oh, we can dance alright." Sonic nodded. "The question is, can you?"

"Of course I can dance, why else would I be here?"

"To steal the Chaos Emerald instead of competing for it fairly like the rest of us." Shadow remarked.

"Oh I can be fair, Shadow." Eggman sneered. "I'll show you how fair I can be when Metal and I compete for that Chaos Emerald!"

"You'll have to compete against us first!" Sonic shouted back.

"And you _both_ will have to compete against _me_, with both of you losing in the end if you even want a _chance_ for that powerful jewel, which you won't get."

At the new voice, all three living beings felt chills go up their spines, recognizing that voice all too well.

"It can't be!" Shadow gasped.

"It's too soon!" Sonic added.

Everyone turned to the voice and couldn't help but squeak in fear when they saw their newest enemy. Infinite the Jackal. What shocked them even most, was that he had a Rookie fearfully standing beside him. A Rookie that the Sonic Team knew well.

"Gadget?!" The two hedgehogs gasped.

"Sorry guys," The glasses wearing red wolf whimpered sadly, his eyes filled with guilt. "He's making me do this."

"Be glad I don't just kill you now." Infinite hissed at him.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Sonic asked the shrew.

"I'm sorry Sonic, but the Terms and Conditions are clear." The shrew shook her head. "All competitors are equal… that includes villains."

Sonic and Shadow couldn't believe it. Not only did they have to compete against innocent citizens, but now Eggman and Infinite too?!

Now this really _was_ a competition.


	4. First Impressions Matter

**First Impressions Matter**

Three days later, the competition was finally ready to start. Sonic and Shadow, along with their friends, were on their way to the center of Station Square, where the competition was being held.

In all honesty, they were a little nervous. After they had signed up to compete, the shrew, who introduced herself as Fru-Fru, had informed them that they would have to come up with a short routine to make a first impression on the voters. They thought their routine was pretty good, but they were a little nervous to see what Eggman and Infinite may have come up with.

"I still can't believe that you have to compete against those guys." Tails frowned when they made it to the competition, his eyes immediately falling on the two villains. "And to think that Gadget is in Infinite's team too."

"It's not his fault." Sonic sighed. "Infinite is making him compete. If he doesn't, he'll kill him."

"But going against them will be a challenge." Shadow added. "Nobody really cares about Eggman, but everybody will most likely be terrified to vote Infinite off after everything he did."

"You'll have to work really hard to compete against him." Maria shuddered. "I don't even want to think about what he may do if he has a Chaos Emerald in his hands."

"You and me both, Maria." Shadow nodded.

At that moment, they were met with a friendly face, even if they only met her three days ago.

"Sonic, Shadow, so glad you two could make it." Fru-Fru greeted them.

"Fru-Fru, great to see you again." Sonic smiled to the shrew. "Here to watch us compete?"

"Well, yes and no." She answered him. "In all honesty, I'm actually the host of the competition."

"You are?" Sonic gasped, then smirked. "I see, the whole signup stand was only a front for you to see who would be competing."

"That's right." She nodded. "And like I said before, so glad that you two decided to signup. I hope you guys are ready to make and impression on the audience."

"Oh, they're ready alright." Knuckles snorted, crossing his arms. "Those two practiced their routine from sunup to sundown these last three days, it'd be surprised if they weren't."

"He's not wrong." Amy sweatdropped. "Sonic and Shadow are really determined to win."

"That's excellent." Fru-Fru nodded, turning her attention to her watch. "You two better get up on stage behind the curtain then. You two will be one of the first to introduce your team."

"Cool." Sonic smiled before turning to his dance partner. "Come on Shads, let's get up there."

"Alright." Shadow sighed as he followed his blue counterpart up the wooden steps to the stage, standing behind the curtain with the other dancers.

"I hope you're ready to lose." Infinite taunted them as he and Gadget stood to their left, Eggman and Metal Sonic standing next to their right.

"We'll see who the loser really is by the end of the month, weakling." Shadow spat at the jackal.

"Say that to me one more time and I swear I will blast you all the way back to the ARK from which you came." The villain hissed.

"Oh, but that would be cheating, Infy, which according to the Terms and Conditions, is prohibited." Sonic teased. "And you don't want to be kicked out of the competition already, do you?"

"Not like these people would have the guts to do so anyway." Eggman snorted.

"Precisely." Infinite nodded before growling at Sonic. "And don't call me Infy."

Before the blue hedgehog could make a retort back, however, he was suddenly cut off by the sound of tv static going off loudly around the area before quickly being replaced by _Bitch Lasagna_.

"Come on, there could be children watching." Gadget scoffed in disapproval.

"Where's it coming from anyway?" Sonic frowned.

Sonic felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Metal Sonic next to him. He pointed behind them and Sonic turned around to see a tv set up behind them, showing the subscriber race. Sonic smiled in approval when he saw that T-Series was still behind with over 28,000 subscribers.

"Yes." He muttered under his breath.

As soon as Pewdiepie's diss track was over, the screen changed to show Diane Sawyer standing by the stage, microphone in her hand.

"Good afternoon Mobias, Diane Sawyer here and I am reporting live from Station Square where the dance competition for the prized blue gem is finally underway. After waiting for three consecutive days to get the stage set up, it's finally time for the dance teams of the competition to show what they're made of. Let's go ahead and move our camera to the stage where our host, Fru-Fru the Shrew, will be announcing our teams."

The camera then panned onto the stage where the pink shrew was standing in front of the curtain, a microphone in her hand.

"Good afternoon Mobias and thank you for tuning in for the first day of the 30 day dance competition." She called out. "Tonight will be all about our 16 dance teams to make a good first impression on you all, the audience watching in. Once all 16 teams have done their short routines, you in the audience have the power to vote off which team should go home. The team with the least votes is unfortunately kicked out of the competition. How do you do this? Simply by going onto your Twitter page and tweeting out which team you think had the best routine, using the #DanceTeamName. Now, in Terms and Conditions, cheating is prohibited. Anyone who is caught cheating will immediately be disqualified from the competition. You must be at least 13 years old to compete. If a dancer in your team is too young, you must find a new partner or be disqualified. Also, everyone is equal. This includes straights, gays, bis, trans, and even villains. Everyone is allowed to participate. Now, without further abdue, let's get this show on the road."

The crowd cheered as they realized that the show was finally getting ready to start. Infinite and Gadget took this time to step up to the curtain, knowing that their team will be going first.

"Our first team consists of two dancers. They call themselves Team Infinity and have a Wolf and jackal that you may be familiar with, as some of our heroes just went to war with them recently. Please do your best to give a warm welcome to Gadget the Wolf and Infinite the Jackal."

A large collection of gasps resonated through Station Square as Fru-Fru left the stage and was replaced with said team. The teams in the back behind the curtain watched as both wolf and jackal took their places on stage, Gadget standing to the far left of the stage and Infinite at the far right. They both had their backs turned to each other, waiting for their chosen song to start.

At that moment, the chorus for _The Other Side_ by Jason Derulo started playing and the two dancers on stage started doing their routine, both going completely opposite directions, but seeming to be on purpose as they did have their backs turned, so in a way, they were still synchronized.

(**{MMD} Gadget The Wolf/InfiniteThe Other Side**)

When the chorus of the song ended, Gadget and Infinite stood back to back as their pose, looking at the crowd, who surprisingly were actually cheering for them.

"You gotta admit, they were pretty good." Sonic admitted.

"We'll top them easily, Faker." Shadow scoffed, refusing to admit that it was an acceptable routine.

At that moment, Team Infinity came back behind the curtain, actually high-fiving each other.

"Gadget?" Sonic asked in a confused tone as he witnessed this.

"... Sorry." The wolf replied sheepishly as he realized what he just did. "He's my teammate. Couldn't resist. You know, good sportsmanship and all that?"

"Totally understand." Sonic nodded.

At that moment, Fru-Fru came back onto the stage.

"Well, wasn't that a shocker filled with entertainment. Remember, if you think Team Infinity should move on, just tweet #DanceTeamInfinity. Now, our next team consists of two hedgehogs our world knows and loves. They call themselves Team Hedgehogs, give a warm welcome to Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehogs!"

The whole crowd went wild as the blue and ebony hedgehogs stepped out from behind the curtain. They took their places next to each other, Sonic to the right and Shadow a bit behind him on the left, and waited for the crowd to settle down before beginning their routine.

Once the crowd had hushed, their chosen song _Radioactive_ by Imagine Dragons began playing.

(**[MMD] Sonic and Shadow-Radioactive**)

The two were perfectly synchronized, even if they were going opposite directions like Team Infinity had done. It was a good thing Shadow had stood a bit behind his blue dance partner, otherwise they both would've collided more than once. They ended their routine by slowly dragging their outer arm up into the air before facing their entire body to the crowd and bowing. And of course, the crowd went nuts.

"Told you we'd top them." Shadow smirked as he and Sonic returned backstage.

"Oh, we so totally topped them." Sonic agreed.

"Don't get too cocky, Sonic." Infinite hissed. "It is only the first day."

Sonic stuck his tongue out at the jackal before turning his attention back to the tv. Team Infinity, Team Hedgehogs, and Eggman's team, known as Team Empire, watched as the other 13 teams did their routines. Some were really good, others, not so much. Some were perfectly synchronized, while others weren't synchronized at all. By the time it was finally Team Empire's turn, everybody else had already gone and dinner time was right around the corner.

"Hey Shads, you wanna get something to eat after this?" Sonic asked his ebony partner.

Shadow was about to protest, until he felt his stomach growl. He really hadn't eaten that day, so he was a bit peckish. Plus, he knew of a little cafe that served the best huckleberry pie, and he was craving.

"Yeah, sure." He nodded. "How about the café?"

"Craving their huckleberry pie?" Sonic teased.

"No… well… maybe a little."

Sonic chuckled as they turned their attention back to the tv, where Eggman and Metal Sonic were on stage, getting ready to do the last routine of the night.

"This will be the last team of the night, people." Fru-Fru announced in her microphone. "Remember, if you think any of the teams had the best routine, tweet out #DanceTeamName. Now, onto the last routine of the night, please welcome Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic, Team Empire!"

Eggman and Metal Sonic took their positions on the stage, Metal standing to the left and Eggman to the right. They had their bodies turned to the side to expose their left side, and their right foot was sticking out, waiting for their chosen song to start.

At that moment, their song called _Bad Egg Night _started playing and the two villains began their routine.

(**Eggman and Metal Sonic only have one video where it's just the two of them dancing, so please just pretend.**)

(**[MMD] (Sonic)-Bad Egg Night**)

Their routine wasn't bad, and it was actually very well synchronized. The only problem was that it was a little too long. Almost 2 minutes long.

"Idiot, it's supposed to be a short routine." Shadow growled as he watched the screen.

"I mean, Fru-Fru never really said how short it had to be." Sonic shrugged. "We just assumed it had to be at least under a minute. The crowd is loving it though."

It was true. As Eggman and Metal Sonic posed at the end of their routine, the crowd surprisingly went wild. About as wild as they went for Infinity and Hedgehogs.

"We've got some serious competition, Shads." Sonic gulped nervously.

"We'll pull through, Faker. We always have." Shadow assured him.

"Take that hedgehog!" Eggman snarked as he and Metal Sonic came backstage.

"It was supposed to be a short routine." Shadow remarked.

"And it was short." The man retorted back. "It was only a minute and 47 seconds long."

"We assumed that a short routine would be at least under a minute." Sonic explained.

"Oh, hush up you blue rat, the crowd enjoyed it anyway."

At that moment, Fru-Fru came back onto the stage and the curtains lifted to reveal all 16 dance teams. The crowd cheered upon seeing them all together, the teams drinking up the praise and giving off bows to the crowd.

"Wow, I can see you're all excited, but now it's time to reveal which one of these unlucky dance teams will be going home." Fru-Fru announced. "We've looked at your votes on Twitter, and now it's time to reveal who our top three teams are."

The crowd cheered once more as the shrew pulled out her phone, looking at the results.

"In third place, we have… Team Empire!"

"Huh, better than nothing." Eggman admitted before bowing to the cheering crowd.

"I'm surprised he's actually on the board at all." Sonic said to Shadow.

"Tch." The ebony hedgehog replied back.

"In second place, we have… Team Infinity!"

Once again, the crowd cheered as the wolf and jackal bowed to the crowd. Afterwards, there was a hushed silence as everybody waited for the results on who won first place.

"And finally, in first place we have… Team Hedgehogs!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Sonic laughed cockily as he and Shadow waved to the cheering crowd.

"Piece of cake." Shadow added.

"Alright, alright," Fru-Fru calmed them. "Now that we have our three top teams, it's time to reveal the unlucky team that didn't quite make the cut. For the start of the competition, the first unlucky team with the least votes is… Team Wolf, I'm so sorry. Better luck next time."

Everybody watched as a team of three wolves lowered their ears in defeat as they waved to the crowd and left the stage, exiled from the competition.

"I can't really blame the crowd." Sonic admitted. "Their routine was just the worst, and they weren't even synchronized."

"Not what you would expect from wolves, I agree." Shadow agreed. "But at least it's one less team to worry about."

"I guess you're right."

"Thank you all for joining in tonight, we'll see in two more days with our remaining 15 teams, where they'll be competing once again and more days to come. Hope to see you all next time, good night!"

With that, Fru-Fru ran off the stage, indicating that the show was over for tonight. The applauding crowd began to disperse once the curtain came down and the lights to the stage began shutting off, allowing the remaining dance teams to sneak away. Sonic turned to Shadow with a smile on his face as he heard both of their tummies rumble.

"To the café then?" He suggested.

"Sure, let's gather up the rest of our friends and head out." Shadow agreed.


	5. Dinner At The Café

**A/N: Somebody wanted know why Maria is in this story, despite her being killed by G.U.N 50 years ago, so I'll explain. This story takes place after the events of Sonic Forces. You know how in the game you get to create and play as your own character? Well, a lot of fans, including myself, like the idea of recreating Maria as a hedgehog, brought back to help save the universe from Infinite. So, to put it simply, Maria Robotnik the Hedgehog was the rookie from Sonic Forces and that is why she is in the story. Now, onto it!****Dinner At The Café **

About an hour later, Team Hedgehogs was at the café with their friends, enjoying a well deserved dinner for their success of winning first place on the first day of the competition.

"I can't believe you won first place on the first day, Mr. Sonic and Mr. Shadow." Cream beamed with excitement.

"Yeah, especially with 15 other teams competing against you." Tails added.

"I guess we're just that good, right Shads?" Sonic turned to his ebony partner, snickering when he caught him just sticking a spoon full of huckleberry pie and vanilla ice cream into his mouth. "Oops, finish chewing and then answer."

Shadow held up a finger and chewed his food before swallowing. "I'm still surprised Eggman and Infinite even made the cut." He said once his mouth was empty.

"Yeah, me too." Sonic admitted. "Not so much Infinite, but Eggman, really?"

"Everyone would be terrified to vote Infinite off, given what he's done," Knuckles started. "But when Eggman is involved, it's easy to tell that he's up to something. The people know he's not exactly the most trustworthy guy and he's a complete buffoon. It'd be easy to vote him off and foil any plan he has, and then let us take care of the rest."

"Either the people don't remember that, or they actually did like Eggman's routine." Tails sighed. "And given their reactions, I'm willing to bet the latter."

"Yeah," Sonic sighed, poking at his chili cheese fries with his fork. "I just hope it doesn't become a problem."

"Faker, I'm gonna put it simple." Shadow started. "There is no way that Eggman and Metal Sonic are gonna make it to the end. Infinite and Gadget maybe, but not Eggman. They'll be voted off shortly. They'll mess up and they'll either be voted of fairly or they'll be disqualified."

"... You're right, Shadow. Nothing to worry about." Sonic smiled before taking a bite of his fries.

"Well, now that we have that sorted out, what are you boys going to do next?" Amy asked them.

"Well, I'm sure now we're supposed to be doing full songs and routines, so I was thinking we could try to blow the crowd away with a fast one, show them what we can really do. Whaddya say, Shads?"

"Not a bad idea, I'll admit." Shadow nodded. "Starting tomorrow, we'll have a whole day to pick a song and practice a routine for it. I think we can pull it off."

"That's the spirit!" Sonic beamed. "We got this in the bag, you guys."


	6. Just Breathe

**Just Breathe**

A day passed and on the second day afterwards it was time to head back to the competition. Yesterday, Sonic and Shadow worked hard on their new routine, hoping that their unique speed and moves would wow the crowd like the day before. They nearly ran out of breath multiple times for how fast and often they were dancing, but they couldn't afford any mistakes if they were gonna win that Chaos Emerald.

"You guys think you're ready?" Tails asked them as they all made their way to Station Square.

"Well I think so, do you Shads?" Sonic asked the ebony hedgehog.

To be honest, Shadow wasn't so sure if he was ready or not. More than once during their practice, Shadow had to glance over at Sonic to see what he was doing so that he could keep up. It wasn't very noticeable, and they were synchronized, but it wasn't perfect.

"I think we're ready." Shadow agreed dishonestly. "But… it wouldn't hurt to practice a little more if we're not one of the first ones going up."

"I guess you're right." Sonic nodded. "After all, practice makes perfect."

When the group finally got to the stage they were once again met up with Fru-Fru.

"Hello Team Hedgehogs, wonderful to see you again." The shrew greeted politely.

"Hello Fru-Fru, it's great to see you too." Sonic greeted back. "So, what's the list looking like today? I ask in case we're one of the last ones going up. Shadow wants to practice our routine a little more."

"Well, you boys are in luck. You'll be the third to last team today. If you wanna practice, there are soundproof rooms behind the stage to let you do so, uninterrupted."

"Thanks Fru-Fru, come on Shadow, you're the one who wanted to practice more, so let's go."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Shadow sighed as he followed his blue dance partner to the rooms in the back, hoping that by the time it was their turn to perform, he would have the whole routine properly memorized.

An hour passed by and already 12 teams, including Team Infinity and Team Empire, had already gone and done their routines. It was finally Team Hedgehogs' turn, and they were ready to blow the crowd away.

"Are you ready, Shads?" Sonic asked as they both waited for Fru-Fru to announce them.

"Yes, I'm ready." Shadow nodded, being truthful this time. The extra practice was just what he needed to get his confidence back up.

"Here they are, Team Hedgehogs!" Fru-Fru announced and the two hedgehogs went out on stage.

When they got out there, Shadow almost froze. Was it just him, or were there a lot more people in the crowd than last time? The thought almost made him shudder. Until two days ago, he had never danced for an audience before. The only ones who ever saw him dance were his friends, and even then, they were just goofing off, there was no coordination needed in it.

But it wasn't the same this time.

This time, it was a competition.

This time, he had to stay in step with someone else.

This time… it would be judged.

_Dear Chaos am I getting stage fright?!_ Shadow thought nervously.

Sonic unfortunately didn't see the nervousness in his partner's eyes. Instead, he gave Fru-Fru the ok to start their chosen song _Spring Shower_, so they could begin their routine.

The song started and the routine began.

(**(Sonic Boom) Sonic and Shadow Spring Shower**)

Immediately, the two hedgehogs started to quickly dance to the beat. It was going well for the start, until Shadow realized in horror that he was lagging a little behind. They were just barely out of synch, hardly noticeable but still plagued in Shadow's self-confidence.

The crowd was watching. Oh Chaos they knew! They knew that they weren't in perfect synch!

Shadow breathed heavily, trying not to fall in hyperventilation as he started to glance at Sonic again in an attempt to keep up with the fast routine.

Oh Chaos why was he so nervous?!

Hearing the sound of heavy breathing beside him, Sonic finally glanced over at his dance partner and was shocked to see the horror and nervousness in Shadow's eyes as he tried to keep up. He felt bad. Why didn't Shadow tell him that he was nervous?

"Hey," He whispered to him, just loud enough for only the ebony hedgehog to hear him. "It's ok. Just breathe. It'll all be over soon. Just breathe."

Shadow gave a small nod and took deep breaths.

In and out. In and out.

The ebony's nervousness seemed to melt away the more he focused on his breathing. He suddenly felt more confident with his dancing, his confidence showing through his eyes. He didn't worry about the moments when he wasn't in synch with Sonic, and the rest of the routine went by like a breeze.

As the two hedgehogs turned their backs and posed, the crowd cheered for the team. Shadow's ears lowered a bit at the sound. It didn't sound as if they blew them away.

Poor Shadow couldn't help but feel that he had let Sonic down.


	7. No Such Thing As Perfect

**No Such Thing As Perfect**

Sonic and Shadow went back behind the curtain, the crowd cheering behind them. But no matter how hard they cheered, Shadow's spirit couldn't be lifted.

He had failed Sonic, he knew he had. If he had just told him that he wasn't ready, then maybe they wouldn't be about to be voted off.

"Shadow, are you ok?" Sonic asked him in a concerned tone.

"... No." The ebony hedgehog admitted shamefully. "I let you down Sonic, and I am so sorry."

"Let me down?" Sonic frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't in synch with you. I was nervous and… may have gotten a dosage of stage fright." Shadow hung his head. "We were supposed to blow the crowd away, but I blew it."

"Shadow, it's alright." Sonic gave a reassuring smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't blame you for being nervous. Everybody gets a little nervous now and then. Judging by the crowd, we still did a great job."

"But it was supposed to be perfect."

"There's no such thing as perfect, Shadow. A wise man once said 'Perfection doesn't exist in anyone. Striving for perfection in any part of our lives is a recipe for failure, since it can never be attained.'"

"Dr. John Grohol?" Shadow was impressed.

"Don't look so shocked, Shads, I'm smarter than I look." Sonic laughed.

Shadow's face flushed at that.

"I-I-I didn't mean…"

"It's alright Shadow, I know you didn't." Sonic snickered. "You're just so fun to tease."

Shadow sighed and gave a small huff of a laugh, a smirk grazing his lips. "Thank you Sonic, for sharing that knowledge with me."

"It's no problem, Shads. But next time, when your nervous about performing, will you please tell me? In fact, if anything is wrong at all, as your dance partner and friend, will you tell me?"

"... Yes… I promise I will."

Sonic smiled and pulled Shadow into a hug. The comfort shocked the ebony hedgehog, but the shock slowly turned into a warm feeling as he slowly allowed himself to hug back.

'_Where is _this_ feeling coming from?_'

"Thank you Shadow, for realizing that you can trust me." Sonic whispered to him before letting go. "Now come on. Maybe we can discuss a little bit about our next routine before it's time to hear the results of today's competition."

"I'd like that." Shadow nodded, then quickly thought with a blush. "Maybe something a little slower? More familiar maybe?"

"I guess the fast pacing could've been another reason we were out of synch." Sonic chuckled. "Sure, we can think of something. And remember, 'Perfection is man's ultimate illusion. It simply doesn't exist in the universe... If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.' David D. Burns was the one who said _that_ one."


	8. Something Familiar

**Something Familiar**

Much to Shadow's relief, Team Hedgehogs was not voted off that day, however, they didn't exactly make the cut either. Their team ended up taking 5th place.

"It could've been worse." Tails mentioned the next morning at the breakfast table. "5th place amongst 14 other teams isn't really all that bad, and now you're down to 13 teams."

"Yeah but Shadow wasn't too happy about it." Sonic sighed as he haphazardly spooned his cereal. "He felt like he let me down because he wasn't in synch with me. I had to keep telling him that it wasn't his fault. Honestly, I've never seen him so upset, and I hope I don't ever have to see the day he actually cries, I don't think I'd be able to handle it."

"Why's that?" Knuckles asked.

"Because it… it just doesn't seem right." Sonic admitted. "If Shadow actually ever starts crying… I'd do anything just to put a smile back on his face."

"But Shadow hardly ever smiles." Knuckles frowned.

"You know what I mean."

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand," Tails started. "What are you and Shadow going to do for a routine tomorrow?"

"Shadow wants to try doing something a little more familiar, and I agree. The trouble is, we can't seem to think of anything."

"Well, what about _Gangnam Style_?" Knuckles suggested. "Can't get anymore familiar than that. Everybody knows _Gangnam Style_."

"Yeah, that could probably work." Sonic thought. "I'll run it by Shadow when he comes over today."

**...**

Later that day, Shadow came over as expected to discuss a new routine with Sonic. He had brought Maria, Rouge, and Omega with him as well.

"Do we have any ideas at all?" He asked his blue dance partner when they were all sitting in the living room.

"Well, Knuckles came up with a pretty good idea this morning, if you're up for it." Sonic told him, gesturing with his head to the red echidna.

"And what idea is that?"

"_Gangnam Style_." Knuckles announced. "It's simple, easy to memorize, and it's familiar to almost everybody."

"That does seem like a good idea." Shadow had to agree. "I think I can get behind that."

"There's only one problem." Rouge quickly added.

"And what's that?" Tails asked.

"Who's gonna play the role of the female?"

An awkward silence filled the entire room at that question. It was a simple question, but it was awkward when directed to two males.

"Guess I really didn't think of that." Sonic sighed.

"Do we really have to have a female role?" Shadow asked.

"It would make the audience appreciate it more if we did." Sonic pointed out.

The silence filled the room once more before Shadow finally sighed.

"Well, if one of us has to be the more feminine of the routine, then I guess it might as well be me." He sighed.

"Shadow you don't have to." Sonic quickly told him.

"No but I'm going to. I'll be the bigger man and be the female… that made more sense in my head."

The others couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Besides, I hate to admit this but I have a more feminine body than yours."

"You do realize that by being the female that means I'll be sliding underneath you between your legs at some points." Sonic reminded him.

Shadow's face blushed a deep crimson at that statement. The thought of Sonic between his legs was an awkward one, but if it got the crowd cheering…

"Last chance to back out Shads."

"Either way, we're both gonna be entirely embarrassed. If I'm the female you're going between my legs, but if you're the female I'm going between yours. Just give it up and let me be the female!"

"Oooh, Ultimate Lifeform? More like Ultimate Uke." Rouge teased.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT WE MEAN AT ALL!" Both hedgehogs screeched, faces entirely red.

"Calm down boys," Maria laughed nervously, a drop of sweat going down the side of her head. "Rouge is just trying to get a rile out of you."

"It seems to be working." Omega stated.

"I'm the female, end of discussion." Shadow sneered.

"Ok, if that's what you really want." Sonic surrendered, hands up and a blush grazing his cheeks. "We should get to practicing. Maybe we can put a fun little twist to it."

"I agree, let's do it."

**...**

The next day it was time for the competition again. Sonic and Shadow were walking with their friends to the center of Station Square once again, ready to show the crowd what they got. However, Shadow couldn't stop blushing.

"Why are you blushing so much hun, huh?" Rouge teased, earning a growl and a deeper blush from the ebony hedgehog.

"It's not too late to change the routine, Shads." Sonic said to him. "We both know what the other is supposed to do, we can still switch roles."

"No, it _is_ too late." Shadow hissed. "We've been practicing all day yesterday to fit into our roles and we're not about to change it now just because I'm embarrassed about the situation."

"Ok, am I missing something?" Amy looked between her friends. "What's going on?"

"Sonic and Shadow are about to do _Gangnam Style_ as a routine. Shadow's playing the role of the female." Knuckles explained.

"Oh my." Amy blushed, she knew what this meant. "That's gonna be incredibly awkward between the two. Sliding between Shadow's legs. Looking at his tail."

"You don't have to elaborate, Rose!" Shadow screeched, pressing his hands against his ears to block her sentences, his face glowing red.

"It's ok, Shadow." Sonic assured him, a light blush on his cheeks too. "It's just for this routine. After this, we never have to do it again."

"You better be right, hedgehog." Shadow hissed as they approached the stage, almost immediately being greeted by Fru-Fru.

"Team Hedgehogs, right on time as usual." She greeted them. "Actually, you're just in time, the show will be starting soon and your team is the first one up."

"Well then, at least we can get this routine out of the way quickly, then." Sonic chuckled, looking at Shadow. "Right Shads?"

"Don't call me that." Shadow growled.

"Geez, touchy." Sonic frowned. "It's not my fault you agreed to do _Gangnam Style_."

"Ah, I see what's going on here." Fru-Fru smirked. "_Gangnam Style_. Obviously, one of you had to be the female, correct?"

"Yes, I have to, so can we just get this out of the way so I can end this humiliation?" Shadow demanded.

"Yes, of course." Fru-Fru nodded. "Just head onto the stage and wait behind the curtain until I announce you."

"Sure thing Fru-Fru." Sonic gave her a thumbs up. "Come on Shadow, the faster we start the faster it ends."

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." Shadow sighed as he followed Sonic up onto the stage.

As they were waiting for Fru-Fru to announce them, Sonic was watching the subscriber race. Pewdiepie's song _Bitch Lasagna_ was replaced with his new song _Congratulations_. Unfortunatley, Sonic knew what this meant as he remembered Pewdiepie saying that if T-Series passed he would write a congratulations song for them. As Sonic looked at the subscriber count, his fears were true. T-Series had over 97,000,000 subscribers now, while Pewdiepie only had over 95,000,000.

"Dammit." He hissed to himself.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked him, hearing him curse.

"Nothing, just watching the race." Sonic sighed, pointing at the tv.

"Oh… you a fan of Pewdiepie?"

"Yeah, Tails and I both actually. We're both subscribers. We're hoping that he'll reach 100,000,000 subscribers before T-Series, but now it's starting to look like he might not make it there." Sonic sighed. "Oh well, he had a good run."

"He was number one for quite a long time." Shadow nodded. "For years, actually."

"I guess it is time for someone else to take the spotlight." Sonic chuckled, smirking at his ebony dance partner as he held his fist out. "Just like we're about to now. We'll reach first place this time."

Shadow smirked and fistbumped with the blue hedgehog, completely forgetting about his embarrassment before.

"You're right, let's do this."

"And here they are once again, Team Hedgehogs!" Fru-Fru announced.

Immediately, both hedgehogs ran out there and took their positions, Sonic on the right and Shadow on the left. They stood with their backs to the crowd, waiting for the music to start. Once it did, they started by tapping the heel of their shoes against the wooden floor before suddenly spinning around to face the crowd once the beat dropped.

(**SonicShadow Dancing Gangam Style**)

The crowd was surprised to see the two hedgehogs practically perfecting the _Gangnam Style_ routine. They were even more shocked when it was revealed that Shadow was the female of the routine.

The two paid no attention to the gawking of the crowd and just continued their routine. Shadow was desperately trying not to blush as Sonic ran circles around him, looked at his tail (which part of the routine Shadow either playfully slapped him or tripped him), and slid between his legs. After a while though, it no longer became embarrassing, but rather fun, especially when some of the kids in the crowd began dancing too.

"They're loving it, Sonic." Shadow quietly chuckled.

"I know," Sonic smirked. "Come on Shads, let's end it with a bang."

"You got it."

As the song came to an end, their routine did so as well, posing just exactly as Psy had done in the music video. The crowd went wild for them and Shadow couldn't help but smile, feeling as if he had made up for his mistakes two days ago.

He was surprised that he actually found himself enjoying the routine, and… quite suddenly for some reason, he didn't mind the perverted parts that Sonic had to do to him… somehow finding those suddenly enjoyable too.

'_What the heck?!_' The ebony hedgehog thought to himself. '_What the hell am I thinking?_'


End file.
